Particular OSHA requirements need to be met so as to utilize any type of forklift. Many of the companies using lift trucks will provide basic training to the other sales and office employees along with visitors and other non operators who may venture into the distribution areas. Though OSHA doesn't particularly address forklift pedestrian training, the OSHA General Duty Clause dictates that employers should take measures in order to protect employees from certain risks, like pedestrians exposed to moving lift trucks.
A huge problem which will need to be dealt with is pedestrian safety. Based on the NIOSH or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; roughly 20% of all forklift mishaps consist of a pedestrian being struck by a forklift. This statistic means roughly 19,000 individuals each and every year.
In order to keep everybody safe, there are several basic steps that must be taken into account. This is regardless to how briefly or frequently individuals are around industrial trucks during their work day. Amongst the main factors is that forklift pedestrian accidents normally happen in situations where the pedestrian is not aware of safety measures. Issues also happen more often when the pedestrian has become used to frequent interaction with forklifts and ends up complacent.
There are several common situations to look out for so as to prevent placing yourself at potential risk from being struck by a forklift. Pedestrians not seeing the forklift is a common problem that needs to be addressed. Many operations have varying degrees of intersections or blind corners that pedestrians must know. At times pedestrians do not hear the lift truck. Be careful of the different kinds of power sources. Like for example, electric trucks can be a lot quieter than IC engines which are really loud.
Coming in too close proximity of the machine is another common concern for pedestrians. In order for a pedestrian to be injured by a lift truck, common sense tells us that the pedestrian needs to be in close proximity to be struck. For a lift truck that is working, a four foot safety zone is recommended in order to make a safe perimeter for everybody. This helps to deal with risks like for instance the unit accidentally driving over the foot of a pedestrian.
To make sure that the workplace safety remains paramount and stays top notch, the implementation and following of strict safety protocol is vital.